100 Leaders Who Have Left Their Mark

Jesse Todd

January 30, 1996|By JESSE TODD Daily Press

32. S. Wallace Edwards Sr. started the Edwards' family ham business in 1926 when he began selling home-cured country ham sandwiches to passengers on the Jamestown-Scotland ferry. Since then, the Surry business has expanded to become a nationally recognized country ham curing operation and retail outlet, now operated by S. Wallace Edwards Jr. and his son, Samuel W. Edwards III.

33. Emanuel E. Falk started Drucker and Falk Realtors with A. Louis Drucker in 1938. The company has grown to have more than 100 offices in several states. Falk, who died in 1987, was a founding member of the Peninsula Industrial Committee, a forerunner of the Virginia Peninsula Economic Development Council.

FOR THE RECORD - Published correction ran Thursday, February 1, 1996.One name was omitted from the list of 100 leaders who left their mark on the Peninsula area in Tuesday's Progress section. Number 29 is Thomas Downing, who served as 1st District congressman for 18 years, choosing not to seek re-election in 1976 even though he could easily have won. He protected his district's military and maritime interests.According to the Hampton City Council Clerk and old clip files of the Daily Press, Ann Kilgore was not mayor from 1978 to 1980. Kilgore served on Hampton City Council for that time period but was not mayor.

34. Homer L. Ferguson was a giant of American shipbuilding. He was president of Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. from 1915 to 1946, guiding the yard through the Great Depression and two world wars. During his tenure there were no work stoppages. The Apprentice School, a volunteer night class when Ferguson became president, grew to attain college-level stature during his tenure. Ferguson died in 1953. His son, Charles, was a co-founder of Ferguson Enterprises.

35. William H. Ferguson Jr. was the founder of Ferguson Corp., a construction company. He was a civic leader and driving force behind the founding of Hampton Roads Academy. He died in 1994. His son "Trip" Ferguson is on the Peninsula Airport Commission and formerly served on the governing board of Christopher Newport University.

36. T.A. Fowler started the original Waterfront Lumber Co. in 1913 with T.G. Gray. Fowler died in 1931, but family members continued to own and operate the company in the East End of Newport News until the mid-1960s, when the business was sold to the Paris family, which still runs it.

37. William P. Fricks is chief executive of Newport News Shipbuilding and will be guiding the efforts of Hampton Roads' most important company in developing new markets during a challenging era in which the future of military shipbuilding is in doubt.

38. Vernon M. Geddy Sr. was commonwealth's attorney for Williamsburg-James City County who served as counsel to the Rev. W.A.R. Goodwin and John D. Rockefeller Jr. in the purchase of historically significant properties for the restoration of Williamsburg. He later served as executive vice president of Colonial Williamsburg and was a trustee of the foundation. His son, Vernon M. Geddy Jr., served as mayor of Williamsburg and was a trustee of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Geddy Sr. died in 1952.

39. Gordon Gentry Jr. of Newport News is a longtime banker currently leading efforts to start a new financial institution, Harbor Bank. He has served on the governing board of Christopher Newport University.

40. The Rev. William Archer Rutherfoord Goodwin was rector of Bruton Parish Church. He undertook the restoration of the Colonial church and, in 1926, persuaded John D. Rockefeller Jr. to begin the restoration of Williamsburg to its 18th-century appearance.

41. William Gordon of Newport News started Gordon Enterprises in 1917. After his death in 1926, the business was managed by his widow and sons. The company's holdings were to include, at various times, the Palace Theater, the Wythe Theater and the Village Theater.

42. William Grace is president of Grace Industries Inc., a facilities maintenance company. He is a member of the Newport News Industrial Development Authority.

43. The Gray family : Garland "Peck" Gray was elected to the state Senate in 1948 and became an influential member of the General Assembly. He retired in 1972. He was succeeded by his son, Elmon T. Gray, who also wielded much power in the legislature until he retired in 1991. Garland Gray died in 1977. At one time the family's companies owned more than one in every 10 acres in Sussex County as well as substantial landholdings in Surry, Isle of Wight, James City County and other areas.

44. Nelson S. Groome was a prominent Hampton banker and businessman early in the century. He served on the committee that negotiated sale of land to the federal government for what is now NASA Langley.

45. Norvleate Downing Gross was director of the Newport News Office of Economic Opportunity, and in that capacity she guided a number of anti-poverty programs for the city. Upon her death in 1983, an editorial in The Times-Herald described her as "dedicated and indefatigable."

46. P.D. Gwaltney Sr. came to Smithfield after the Civil War. He became famous for his cured hams, and at the turn of the century owned the largest peanut processing plant in the world.